The Poetical Works and Letters of Robert Burns. Edinburgh: Gall and Inglis [n.d. circa 1880].
pp. xxxvi, 656pp, 6 plates, gilt gauffered edges, front inner hinge slightly cracked, otherwise clean and tight, Mauchline-ware binding using wood from the Douglas Room, Stirling Castle, gilt-decorated leather spine. Overal GOOD condition.
Robert Burns’ time in Mauchline, Scotland, to the southwest of Glasgow, has been called his most creative period. The town also invented a novelty binding which is now commonly associated with the Scottish poet. Mauchline bindings, and Mauchline ware, is made by transferring an image onto a piece of wood, and then heavily varnishing it. In use since the 1830s, the technique was used for bindings, as seen in this example, as well as houseware such as cups and trinket boxes, usually for the amusement of tourists looking for Scottish-themed gifts.
This Mauchline binding preserves wood from the Douglas Room of the Stirling Castle. The castle was originally built in the 12th century and has since been part of at least eight sieges, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence. It has been one of the most used of the Scottish Royal residences and was the seat of the coronation of Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Douglas Room, parts of which now bind this book, was the site of the murder of William, 8th Earl of Douglas by King James II on February 22, 1492. The Earl refused to dissolve his alliance with Alexander Lindsay, Earl of Crawford and John of Islay, and upon this refusal, King James stabbed him 26 times and, according to the Auchinleck Chronicle, "struck out his brains with a pole ax.” His body was thrown out of a window. In the 19th century, the room stood as a museum with a stain glass commemorating this event. However, in November of 1855, the room suffered heavy damage from a fire. Before the fire, it was said that the room was wooden paneled with regency furniture. This is one of the remaining panels from that storied room.
The final picture depicts the Douglas Room before the fire, engraved by Paul Gauci, from the Royal Collection Trust.